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Central Asian Foreign Fighters in Syria
Nováková, Sabina ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
This thesis deals with the phenomenon of Central Asian foreign fighters in Syria, 2011- 2017. It analyzes their radicalization, recruitment, and travel patterns. Special emphasis is placed on tracking the home states' responses, including elements of de-radicalization and counter-radicalization. The thesis has found that there is arguably no single factor explaining the Central Asian fighters' radicalization; nor is there a typical profile of a Central Asian fighter. Available data suggest that radicalization and extremist recruitment most often occur in Russia. Furthermore, the analysis of travel patterns has shown that the majority of Central Asian fighters traveled to Syria either indirectly via multiple countries (again, most often Russia) or directly from their country of origin, and then crossed the border from Turkey. The thesis concludes that all five Central Asian states have adopted policies to address the perceived security threat of returning foreign fighters, whereas the hard, restrictive and punitive approach has been prevalent all across the region.
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The Reasons Behind the Success of the Pro-Israeli Lobby in the United States
Záhora, Jakub ; Bečka, Jan (advisor) ; Fojtek, Vít (referee)
Since at least the 1970s, Israel has been benefiting hugely from the so-called "special relationship" with the United States. The US provides the Jewish state with considerable financial aid which reached $3 billion annually in the form of non-refundable grants in the 1990s. America also supplies Israel with modern military systems and American companies cooperate with their Israeli counterparts in developing new weapons, devices etc. US representatives also protect Israel from major diplomatic failures at the international forums like the UN. Some people believe that the American support for Israel is driven by moral imperatives, as Israel constitutes a shelter for the minority which experienced hundreds-of- years lasting hatred, with its ultimate expression being the Holocaust. This argument further states that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and therefore it presents a natural choice for an ally of the United States. Others argue that Israel is an indispensable strategic asset, necessary for maintaining the American presence and securing the American interests in the region. However, all these points can be refuted. The often emphasized moral aspect omits the painful issue of Palestinian refugees forced out by Jewish forces in 1948-1949 and continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian...
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Islamic terrorism in US film: how we construct our own enemies
Kotvalová, Anna ; Záhora, Jakub (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Islamic terrorism in US film: how we construct our own enemies Master's thesis Author: Bc. Anna Kotvalová Study programme: International Relations Supervisor: Mgr. Jakub Záhora, Ph.D. Year of the defense: 2019 ABSTRACT The presented diploma thesis is concerned with the discourse and narratives of the phenomenon of terrorism in the American cinema, produced after 9/11 and its reflection on the events within the War on Terror. This thesis rests on two major theoretical realms, Critical terrorism studies and the interconnection between popular culture and the world of politics. This thesis addresses three American mainstream films produced after 9/11, Zero Dark Thirty, Lone Survivor and American Sniper in order to analyse the discourse and narratives which refer to the antagonists in these movies (more specifically, the discourse and narratives which portrays justification for the American behaviour within the War on Terror) and to address the political consequences of this kind of discourse. This thesis defines four major repetitive patterns in the discourse: humanization of the "American side", dehumanization of the antagonists, depiction of torture and violence and lack of context and concludes...
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How can the changes in the settings of the European Neighbourhood Policy affect the EU-Israeli cooperation?
Houdek, Kryštof ; Kučerová, Irah (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
This thesis deals with the question of how the changes in the European Neighbourhood Policy and especially the newly proposed NDICI affect its relations and those of the Member states to Israel. It emphasises the effects of the NDICI's changes in policy settings towards the Palestinian Authority and how those indirectly affect Israel. It concludes that the four main changes, flexibility, development aid, blending and a performance-based approach may have unintended impact on the relations with Israel, especially in regard to security and the political atmosphere. They can damage Israeli relations with some of the Member states or escalate violence in Gaza. The conclusions are reached through ENP related document analysis. It is a single case study.
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Seek Russians behind everything: Critical research of "Russian disinformation campaign" discourse in the Czech republic
Čech, Adam ; Rychnovská, Dagmar (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
of diploma thesis ‚Seek Russians behind everything: Critical research of "Russian disinformation campaign" discourse in the Czech republic'. Author: Bc. Adam Čech Supervised by: Dagmar Rychnovská, M.A., LL.M., Ph.D. Study programme: International relations Year of work defence: 2019 This study researches the "Russian disinformation campaign threat" discourse, that was established in the Czech republic since 2014. The study utilizes a method termed for the purpose of this work as "lesser discourse analysis". It explores the origins and influences that played a role in creation of a specific understanding of the topic. Subsequently it engages in a critical analysis of the discourse and assesses whether the understanding of the Russian hybrid threat, especially regarding the disinformation, is legitimate and based on known facts and correct interpretation of them, or whether it is not (partially) based on delusions, myths, logical shortcuts, misinformation (or possibly disinformation) on part of the creators and active participators of the discourse. The study also presents a set of recommendations to "straighten" the discourse on this important topic. The study engages in analysing of the process of the agenda-setting regarding the topic through the lenses of "securitization theory ". It identifies...
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U.S.-Japan Relations from the Perspective of American Cinema
Toman, David ; Záhora, Jakub (advisor) ; Kotvalová, Anna (referee)
This Master's thesis provides an analysis of the contemporary depiction of significant historical moments in U.S.-Japan relations in American cinematography, specifically in the films: The Last Samurai, Pearl Harbor, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Emperor. The analysis elaborates on theoretical stream of popular culture and world politics and most particularly on the popular geopolitics discipline. A discourse analysis is used as the research method, through which the three main aspects of popular geopolitics in the selected movies are followed - representational logics, affect, and intertextuality. The research goal is to tackle the question, how the historical milestones in U.S.-Japan relations are portrayed in the present and how their portrayal is linked to the current geopolitical context. The research shows that filmmakers usually try to offer a balanced view of both sides, which means there are positive and negative portrayals of both Japanese and American characters. Japanese villains are usually militarists, which is in line with the postwar narrative of the American Occupation administration. The trend of negative portrayal of Americans has been strengthened only recently due to controversies related to the War on Terror. The main finding, however, is the fact that although Japan is...
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NATO and European Security in the East: The Impact of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict on NATO Doctrine and Ukrainian Strategy
Tymchuk, Halyna ; Záhora, Jakub (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
This diploma thesis will basically work with the concept of security, namely, the European secu- rity in recent years. Although Ukraine is not a NATO member, and Russia is NATO's distant neighbour, in this thesis I will prove that we should connect the events on Ukrainian border with European security. From the very onset of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, NATO was firm in its support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The Allies immediately condemned the illegal "legitimate annexation" of the Crimea to Russia in March 2014 and they have repeatedly stated that they would never recognize it as well. They also condemned deliberate destabilization in eastern Ukraine which was provoked by Russia with the use of its military intervention and militants' support. The crisis in Ukraine has proved to be a real turning point in Euro-Atlantic security since some senior Western politicians began to speak about changes in the guideline of European defense policy. Ukrainian crisis created new security situation in Europe and still requires attention, in- volvement and response from NATO. This crisis sharpened strategic misunderstanding between Russia and the West. It shows very clearly that Moscow and the West understand European security in...
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How can the changes in the settings of the European Neighbourhood Policy affect the EU-Israeli cooperation?
Houdek, Kryštof ; Kučerová, Irah (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
This thesis deals with the question of how the changes in the European Neighbourhood Policy and especially the newly proposed NDICI affect its relations and those of the Member states to Israel. It emphasises the effects of the NDICI's changes in policy settings towards the Palestinian Authority and how those indirectly affect Israel. It concludes that the four main changes, flexibility, development aid, blending and a performance-based approach may have unintended impact on the relations with Israel, especially in regard to security and the political atmosphere. They can damage Israeli relations with some of the Member states or escalate violence in Gaza. The conclusions are reached through ENP related document analysis. It is a single case study.
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